Pulse November 2016 | Page 32

SOCIAL MEDIA SECRETS FOR ATTRACTING MILLENNIALS
( CONTINUED FROM PAGE 28)
4. EMPOWER PERSONALIZATION. Entitle us to our personal style. We all think we are different, unique, one-of-akind. Blame it on the everyone-gets-a-trophy disaster of the 80s and 90s. Regardless, ask us to co-create with you. We like to feel that we play a leading role in our own experiences. Even if we can add our own flavors, ingredients or names in a small way, it helps the moment to resonate deeper with us. We love the sound of our own names. I’ ll never forget checking into the Montage Beverly Hills for a spa weekend and my pillows had“ G” on them for Gargan. They let me choose from five different essential oils to complement my massage, and allowed me to choose whatever ingredients I wanted for my facial. It was so unique, of course I posted it on Instagram and tagged Montage in a matter of minutes! Even if you can’ t have monogrammed robes, towels or pillowcases with all 26 letters of the alphabet, integrating some kind of personalized touch or allowing us to be a part of the creative process works wonders to organically incentivize the social share.
churning out every single day.
Social media is very time-consuming and takes immense effort and energy to properly harness and convert into revenue. Unfortunately( or fortunately), what are your other options? Today’ s digital buyer does not respond to interruptive advertising, prefers exclusive quality over a deal, and values opinions of friends and even online strangers over anything a business ever says about itself. Today’ s shift from the power of paid media to the power of earned media is called“ earned” for a reason. Like improving your health or developing friendships, it takes time. Focus on aligning your strategy to deliver against these key foundational social success secrets and watch your business grow faster than you could ever imagine. n
Millennials, who are social media savvy, can help amplify your brand through their online influence.
5. AMPLIFY INFLUENCERS. Tastemakers and trendsetters— every business has at least a handful of these“ cool kid” customers. Shower them with unforgettable experiences. Change their lives in your own special way. Capture them( with hyper-flattering creative polish) enjoying those moments and make it turnkey for them to share with their followers and friends. Sometimes your influencers are unexpected— the book club mom, the college athlete, the executive— all of these types of buyers have a multitude of connections on social media that follow their every move. Equip them with powerful stories to tell about you and your business. Degrees of separation have rapidly shrunk in today’ s digital networks, so you never know who knows who. Research your buyers’ social footprints to ensure you never miss a golden opportunity for brand endorsements. Use them to put a microphone and a spotlight around all the magic your business is
ERIN GARGAN is a national speaker, author and Founder of Socialite Agency( socialite. agency), a social media marketing firm that provides consulting, training and support for various industries. Erin’ s clients include The Oscars, VISA,
Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, Nelson
Mandela’ s Legacy of Hope Foundation, wedding. com and others. She was named one of Orange County Business Journal’ s“ Women in Business” and has been featured in Forbes Magazine.
TO DOWNLOAD a PDF of Gargan’ s Professional Development Session presentation at this year’ s ISPA Conference & Expo, click here. Plus, to know more about millennial preferences, download the seventh volume of the Consumer Snapshot Initiative Research, launched at this year’ s ISPA Conference. The report is available at experienceispa. com.
30 PULSE ■ November 2016